MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Sep 17, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Charleston quietly walks away from dismissed climate lawsuit; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures extend winning streak; Could Trump use national security measures to block offshore wind?; INTERNATIONAL: WTI tops $64 amid geopolitical strain; Canada approves West Coast LNG export project; The whole world has soured on climate politics.

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

Charleston quietly walks away from dismissed climate lawsuit
Energy in Depth – Climate & Environment
Charleston has opted not to appeal the dismissal of its climate lawsuit against energy companies, marking another setback in a wave of similar cases nationwide. Judge Roger M. Young Sr. ruled in August that the case was preempted by federal law, warning that the City’s arguments could expose countless industries to “boundless” liability. Business leaders welcomed the decision, urging Charleston to focus on practical climate mitigation rather than costly litigation. The move reflects a broader trend of failed climate lawsuits in states including Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, and New York, highlighting courts’ consistent rejection of activist-driven legal strategies. [MDN: Shame on Charleston Democrats who thought they could steal money from Big Oil. Every single such lawsuit brought by municipalities (claiming Big Oil knowingly caused “climate change,” by which they mean global warming) has failed. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Enough of this. Let’s start sending the bill to the law firm that’s behind this nonsense.]

NATIONAL

U.S. natural gas futures extend winning streak
Wall Street Journal
U.S. natural gas rises for a third straight session as weather forecasts show higher-than-normal temperatures extending further into September than previously thought. The late-season heat could limit inventory injections heading into the low-demand shoulder season, easing the weight of the storage surplus on near-term prices. “Overfilling storage can lead physical pricing to crash into October (as occurred last year) or a bullish outcome can help reel in the steep contango at the front of the curve,” Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics says in a note. Nymex natural gas settles up 2% at $3.103/mmBtu. [MDN: We like higher for the price of natgas. Let’s hope we stay above $3.]

Could Trump use national security measures to block offshore wind?
Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)/Kevin Mooney
The article argues that offshore wind projects along the U.S. East Coast raise national security risks, such as interference with Navy sonar and Air Force/NORAD radar systems, and creating hiding places for foreign submarines and undetected drone threats. It notes that the Trump administration has begun rescinding or reviewing former Biden-era approvals, including pausing work on Revolution Wind, citing risks to national security, and halting Atlantic Shores in New Jersey. Critics say turbines may generate false radar signals and reduce the ability to detect smaller aircraft. Proponents of the projects are accused of downplaying risks to military operations and marine life. [MDN: The left never talks about the huge negatives of wind energy. In fact, they cover up those negatives. It’s time wind gets a full “airing.”]

INTERNATIONAL

WTI tops $64 amid geopolitical strain
Bloomberg/Mia Gindis, Omar El Chmouri
Oil prices rose as geopolitical risks pressured markets, with WTI climbing 1.9% to $64.52 a barrel and Brent up 1.5% to $68.47. Reports of restricted storage on Russia’s Transneft pipeline, intensified Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries including Primorsk, and EU deliberations on sanctions against India- and China-linked firms supporting Moscow’s oil trade, fueled uncertainty. Russian refining runs have dropped to their lowest since April 2022, raising concerns over supply disruptions. Meanwhile, Israel’s strikes in Yemen threatened Middle East output, though forecasts of an OPEC+ surplus and weakening market spreads signaled bearish fundamentals despite potential support from expected Fed rate cuts. [MDN: Sometimes, we think too much is read into every minor up and down in the price. How much of the price increase can be attributed to the factors mentioned? We think these analysts grab whatever the latest headline is and blame the up or down on that.]

Canada approves West Coast LNG export project
Bloomberg/Thomas Seal
Canada has approved the C$10 billion ($7.3 billion) Ksi Lisims LNG project, a floating liquefied natural gas export facility on the northwest coast that could begin operations by 2028. Backed by Blackstone-funded Western LNG, Rockies LNG Partners, and the Nisga’a Nation, it will have a capacity of 12 million metric tons annually, making it Canada’s second-largest LNG export facility after LNG Canada’s first phase. The approval, under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s less restrictive environmental stance, signals a push to strengthen the economy, diversify trade beyond the U.S., and expedite projects of national interest through a new Major Projects Office. [MDN: All of a sudden, Canada, which used to be environmentally “woke” (against anything fossil fuel), is now fossil fuel woke (woken up to the benefits of using fossil fuels)! The left in Canada has jettisoned its so-called principles because money talks and you-know-what walks. They’re terrified of Trump and so now willing to export fossil energy to the rest of the world, toasting the world to a cinder (if you believe the left). We’re happy to see Canada grow a spine for a change. Now they can start paying for their own defense.]

The whole world has soured on climate politics
Political Wire/Taegan Goddard
The article highlights a global retreat from climate commitments, with the most visible shift occurring in the United States under President Trump. After reentering office, Trump dismantled the Inflation Reduction Act, halted renewable project approvals, and symbolically paved over the Rose Garden where he first announced plans to exit the Paris Agreement in 2017. Yet the issue extends beyond the U.S., as worldwide climate ambition has declined despite a green-energy boom. From 2019–2021, governments adopted over 300 climate policies annually, but by 2023 the figure dropped below 200, and in 2024 only about 50, with many existing laws facing political rollback. [MDN: Although the left is insidious and never dies (as a political philosophy), it certainly “feels” like there’s been a change with a decrease in new laws and regulations concerning fossil energy around the world. Do we dare hope that common sense has returned?]